Game playing board containing scoring areas formed by electrically conductive strips



3 AREAS F0 UCTIVE STRIPS 3 1963 Oct. 24, 1967 INVENTOR. J EROME H.LEMEL$ON ,348,844 RMED J. H. LEM ELSON TAINING SCORING Y COND |Zcl BATTER! Filed Sept. 2

BY ELECTRICALL 3,348,844 GAME PLAYING BOARD CONTAINING SCORING AREAS FORMED BY ELECTRICALLY CONDUC- TIVE STRIPS Jerome H. Lemelson, 85 Rector St.,

Metuchen, NJ. 08840 Filed Sept. 23, 1963, Ser. No. 310,945 7 Claims. (Cl. 273121) This is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, Ser. No. 24,393 filed Apr. 25, 1960 (now abandoned) which was a continuation-in-part of my application entitled, Electrical Game Apparatus, and Ser. No. 348,625 also entitled, Electrical Game Apparatus, and filed on Apr. 14, 1953 (now abandoned), and Ser. No. 244,557 filed Aug. 31,1951 (now abandoned).

This invention relates to electrical circuit construction and in particular to electrical devices such as games employing surface conducting elements for scoring purposes.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide new and improved electrical games which may be fabricated at low cost and with a minimum amount of assembly labor.

Another object is to provide improved electrical games employing a plurality of flat strip elements which serve as the major parts of one or more electrical circuits and in combination with one or more playing elements as a switching means for scoring purposes.

Another object is to provide an improved board game employing electrical scoring means without the use of conventional wires or switches.

Still another object is to provide improved constructions in electrical game boards and the like employing circuit elements and constructions which are assembled with an insulating base in a manner that they are not easily broken or removed therefrom.

Another object is to provide a new and improved game device employing a movable conducting element which completes a circuit when it bridges a plurality of conducting circuit elements mounted on a surface.

Yet another object is to provide improved constructions applicable to ball-board games such as pin ball games and the like.

Another object is to provide an electrical game board of such a design that it may be used for a plurality of scoring games played with such scoring devices as spherical objects such as balls, flat-faced objects which may be slid along the surface thereof or coins or the like which may be tossed at said board.

Yet another object is to provide new and improved methods of securing electrical components and connectors to electrical game boards in the realm of this invention as well as to electrical fiat strip circuit boards in general.

Another object is to provide new and improved constructions for devices for regulating or controlling a plurality of circuits applicable to a board game, or for selecting by chance means one of a plurality of circuits for game playing purposes.

With the above and such other objects in view as may hereafter more fully appear, the invention consists of the novel constructions, combinations and arrangement of parts as will be more fully described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications which may fall within the scope of the invention may be resorted to as claimed.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the top side of a game board made in accordance with the teachings of this invention;

FIG. 1a is a fragment of a side cross sectional view of United States Patent Office -tral playing portion or floor 11' 3,348,844 Patented Oct. 24, 1967 part of a modification of the game board of FIG. 1 showing a flat playing member thereon;

FIG. 1b is the same as FIG. 1 with said playing member a ball;

FIG. 1c is a view of a corner of a modification of the game board of FIG. 1;

FIG. 1d is a partial view in cross section of a modification of the device of FIG. 1 in the area of a hole through the playing surface;

FIG. 1e is an isometric view of part of the surface of a modification of the board of FIG. 1.

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings which shows in perspective an isometric view of a game board made in accordance with the teachings of the invention, various scoring constructions are illustrated which may be used in the combinations and shapes illustrated or in any combination or form which is a part thereof for the production of a simple electrical scoring game board which is durable and is not easily damaged. Furthermore, the circuits thereof are so provided that they will not become shorted or disconnected as often occurs with devices of this type employing wires and the like.

The game device 10 consists of a base 11 having a cenin the form of a sheet which may be inclined and having side walls 12a to 12d which totally surround 11. The walls and base 11' of member 11 are preferably made of an insulating material such as paperboard, wood or plastic, or laminates of one or more of these materials with each other or with metal provided that the upper surface of 11' is non-conducting of electricity.

The game base 11 is also provided with a partition 13 extending parallel to wall which provides alley way 13' up which a ball B may be rolled or shot such as by means of a spring operated arm 15 which is slidably engaged in an opening in wall 12a.

Extending across the surface 11' are a plurality of flat strip conducting elements, referred to by the general notation 18, which form electrical circuits which are interrupted at various locations on the board by means of gaps 19 between said elements.

The circuit elements may be applied to the playing surface of base 11 by any suitable means and are preferably thin flat strips of electrical conduction material such as sheet metal integrally bonded to surface 11 and formed by any of the so-called printed or etched circuit techniques.

The object of the game is to urge, maneuver, roll, push or toss an object in such a manner that it passes or comes to rest on a scoring area defined by a gap referred to by the general notation 19 between two surface conducting elements such that an electrical circuit is established during the period that the object bridges the gap. The object member or that part of it which bridges the gap must be electrically conducting so that an electrical circuit may be completed therethrough.

Such playing objects as metal balls B, disc shaped pucks P or the like may thus be employed in this game and, in the design of certain games, both may be employed simultaneously for scoring purposes by the means, as illustrated in FIGS. 1a to 1e.

Various improved constructions are illustrated in FIG. 1 for the design of the surface conducting scoring elements 18 and means for securing batteries and scoring transducers thereto. Extending outward from a component retaining indented section 20 of the board are circuit elements 18a and 18b. The element 18b extends to a position where it connects to a battery 22. The element 18a extends to a first strip portion extending along the playing surface 11 near wall 12b. Extending from the other terminal of power supply or battery 22 is a conducting strip 182. Extending laterally from strips 180 and 18e and terminating Within close proximity of each other are respective conducting strip portions 18d and 18 The notation 19-1 refers to the gap between 18d and 18 which need be no more than V of an inch and is preferably less. A flat conducting object such as a metal disc P resting on both 18d and 18 as shown in FIG. la, will bridge the gap and complete a circuit therebetween. If the electrical element connected terminals 18a and 18b of cavity holder 11a is a scoring transducer such as a pulse operated, manually resettable numerical readout counter, then said counter will become energized when element portion 18d and 18 are so connected or bridged by P.

In another construction, element portions 1&1: and 18h extend respectively from elements 18c and 18a. The gap 19-2 therebetween is L-shaped thereby increasing the length of the scoring area. This is effected by providing conductor 1811 in the Z formation shown with the end 18h running parallel to 18g. If an object such as a metal ball rolls across any portion of this gap and electrically bridges the gap, scoring may be effected when scoring member 21 is pulsed thereby.

In another board construction, a retainer means 17 in the form of a semi-circular sheet formation may be provided on surface 11 in which a ball may come to rest and be retained. Projecting portions 18j and 18k extend from the surface elements 18a and 18b into the scoring area defined by retainer 17 and are separated by a gap 19-3. The shape of the walls of the retainer 17 and the gap are such that when ball B comes to rest therein as illustrated in FIG. 1e, it will contact both end portions 18j' and 18k and complete a circuit between the scoring means and the battery as described.

Another scoring means is provided along the wall 12b which provides scoring by the establishment of an electric circuit when a metallic ball or puck simultaneously contacts a surface element 18m on surface 11 and one 18n mounted against wall 12b. Surface strip 18c extends to the upper left corner of the board and is connected to or. continued as strip section 18n extending along wall 12b.

Projecting portions 18m extend from element portion 18c extend to positions adjacent wall 12b and strip portion 18m. Thus when a ball B strikes the wall 12b and makes contact with 18n while rolling across 18m, a circuit will be completed as described, by bridging gaps 19-4 as shown in FIG. 1c.

The ball B may also be retained at specific locations on playing surface 11 by formations or projections extend ing from the playing surface element 11. Retainer pins 11b and 11b are shown projecting from the upper central portion of the playing surface 11' and are spaced apart to permit a ball to come to rest and nest between both pins. The pins may be integrally molded on surface member 11 or may project downward from a transparent cover enclosing the entire playing 'boardrExtending across the area surface of 11' above pins 11b and 11b are surface conducting strips 181' and 18y which are separated by a gap 19-5 and are positioned such that when a ball is in the nesting position against the pins, the lower surface of the ball will make contact with both strips in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 1b and 1d, thereby completing a circuit between said strips. The strip portion 18y extends from one terminal of the battery 22 and strip portions 18r is an extension of the other terminal of the battery by means of surface conductors 18g and 18', save for a gap 19 between 18r and the end of 18q. The latter conductor 18q extends into the scoring area of a ball retainer 11d in which area a ball may come to rest and bridge the gap 19' when retained in the lowermost portion of said retainer. A novel scoring means is thus derived in which a circuit will not be completed between the battery and the score indicating transducer L-2 until both the gaps 19' and 19-5 are bridged to complete said circuit. The notation He refers to pins spaced about the board for defleeting the ball as it travels by gravity down the inclined surface 11. Three of said pins 11c are illustrated as being positioned above retainer pins 11b and 11b and are spaced to permit passage of the ball to the retaining position between the lower pins if accurately controlled. One or more similar pins may also be positioned above the other retaining means or scoring areas of the board defined by the gaps in the conductors to serve as obstacles.

The scoring area defined by retainer 11d and the gap 19 may also be used to control other scoring functions. In other words, the player of the game may be rewarded with a higher score if he is able to exercise his skill and control one ball to come to rest in the area defined by retainer 11d by receiving a score each time thereafter other balls, directed on the playing surface, bridge gaps between conducting surface elements which are in series circuit with 18r, 18q, the scoring transducer L2 and the battery 22. For example, surface element 18s-4 is connected to 18r through a conductor portion 18s. Element portion 18z is an extension of portion 182 of element 18c. Gap 19-6 separates portions llSz and 18s-4- and when a conducting ball travels across said gap and completes the circuit between 18z and 1Ss-4, providing that another ball is nesting in the scoring area defined by retainer 11d, the scoring transducer L2 will become energized. Directly below retained lid is shown a plurality of conducting elements separated by gaps 19-7, 19-8 and 19-9 which will provide means for energizing the scoring transducer L2 a plurality of times during one pass of a ball across all of said gaps if no ball is in the scoring area defined by pins 11b and 11b. It is thus noted that a plurality of different scoring combinations of gap separated elements which are provided in parallel and series circuit with the power supply and scoring transducer, are possible and the retention of a ball in a certain scoring area may result in increasing the score of the player when subsequent balls are propelled and/ or manipulated on the playing surface while the retention of a ball in another scoring zone or zones may serve to prevent further scoring across certain areas of the board.

It is also noted that if a plurality of scoring areas are provided such as those defined by the branch circuit elements 18s-1 to 18s-3 and 18q-1 to 18q-3, and the gaps therebetween are in alignment with each other, provided that a ball is maneuvered or otherwise made to travel a path to bridge the gaps 19-7, 19-8 and 19-9, one after the other, a pulse train will be provided at the scoring transducer, which if it is a summing device such as a counter, will serve to greatly increase the score, in one pass of the ball.

A plurality of closely spaced surface conducting elements branching from circuit elements 181? and 18x are also illustrated in the central area of the playing board. They are situated below and to one side of an opening 11 through which a ball may fall if it is manipulated or otherwise made to travel the intercept path with said opening. It is noted that the game may also be played by tilting the game board 11 to attempt to manipulate the ball and if the player desires to obtain the advantages of multiple scoring during a single pass of the ball such as is obtained when it crosses the elements 18u-1, 18u-2 and 1811-3 which are closely spaced between conducting branch elements 18x-1 and 18x-2, he runs the chance of having the ball drop through the hole 11 since the intercept path of the gaps between said interlocking elements is close to 11 The element 18a, from which branch conducting portions ISu-l to 18u-3 project, extends from element 18t which connects to a second scoring transducer L-l which connects to one terminal of battery 22 and the element 18x extends to element 18w which is a branch of element 18:? which connects to the other terminal of the battery. Another trap or hole 11g, is also situated below and to the right of the gaps 19-7 to 19-9 to render the ball out of play if it is not manipulated correctly.

In the upper left corner of the board is provided a plurality of short branch circuit elements arranged in an interlocking fashion so as to create a plurality of scoring pulses for energizing a scoring transducer. Elements 18p.1 to 18p-4 extend from surface strip portion 18p which is a branch of surface strip 180 and extend between respective pairs of elements 180-1 to 180-3 which extend from strip portion 180, a branch of 18e'. It is noted that, should the ball be made to cross 'all seven of the short, interlocking circuit elements of this group, it will provide six pulses for energizing the summing transducer and running up the score. In order to attain this path, a pair of converging guides 11c and 110' are situated above the row of conducting elements, which, if the ball can be directed therebetween, serves to guide it down the inclined board in the proper manner so as to cross and bridge said plural gaps. Single guide strips such as 11d may also be provided to guide a ball across a single gap such as .192 to effect a scoring as described. Proper manipulation of the spring loaded plunger handle 15 and/ or tilting of the board may be used to effect the travel of the ball by gravity down the board past the desired gaps in the conductor elements and/or into the desired retainers.

,Many combinations of the described scoring arrangements are possible and for certain game board designs it may be desired to duplicate and/ or eliminate certain of those illustrated to vary the game and board layout. It is also noted that the battery retainer may be replaced by an electrical connection means for line current. The :circuit elements may extend under the board on the bottom thereof and the scoring transducer as well as the battery may be hidden from view or partly hidden. The notation 13" refers to a partition separating the scoring transducers from the rest of the board and is shown oblique to the horizontal so as to deliver all balls, travel- .ling thereagainst after travelling the upper areas of the board, to the right hand corner where they may be easily picked up' by hand or otherwise placed in front of the plunger 15."

Aboard'designed in accordance with a layout such as illustrated in FIG. 1 may be used for the playing of different games such as plunger actuated pin ball games, puck tossor sliding games and/or ball manipulation games. Such gamesmay be designed to be played with a combination of these elements in a single game.

FIGS. 1a to 1d illustrate scoring devices such as electrically conducting coins, pucks or balls in various scoring positions on the surface of the playing board 11'. In

FIG. 1a, a conducting puck P or coin is shown in abutment with and resting on surface conducting elements 18d and 18f to effect an electrical connection thereacross. Said surface secured elements are shown in series circuit with a battery 22 and scoring indicating means 21 which may be a lamp, counter, buzzer or the like. When gap 19-1 is bridged by coin P, a circuit is completed energizing scoring device 21.

In FIG. lb, a ball B is shown rolling down the inclined surface of 11' over surface elements 1811 and 18i, both of which it makes momentary contact with at the same time as it rolls down the surface of 11 thereby momentarily completing a circuit and energizing the scoring means 21.

In FIG. 10, the metal ball B is shown at the instant it makes contact with the wall mounted conducting element 18n while the lower surface of said ball rolls on element 18m adjacent the wall thereby effecting momentary completion of the circuit shown and energizing of the scoring device or counter 21.

For games employing a metal ball such as B rolling down an inclined plane or otherwise directed therealong or a puck such as P slid across the surface of the game board, surface mounted strip elements such as 18h and 181' will offer some resistance to the movement of the ball or puck which may roll or slide over the edges of said elements. The elements are therefore relatively thin gage, in the order of .0005 to .005" thick for most game boards, although they may be heavier if larger playing objects are employed or if the edges of the strips are feathered or tapered. A heavier strip may also serve to guide the ball in a lateral path partly across the board until the strip runs out, which path may include a gap between said element and another which the ball may bridge as it rolls past. In the embodiment of FIG. 1c, the element 18m is shown embedded in the base 11 which 1811 abuts the surface'of the side Wall 1212. However, where the spherical surface of a ball must be used to bridge or establish contact between two surface elements as in FIG. 1b, at least one of the conducting elements must project from the surface of the board or both elements must be separated by a narrow crevice into which the bottom part of the ball may roll permitting contact of both adjacent areas of the ball simultaneously with the edges of both strips.

In FIG. 1d the playing board is designed with playing surface member 11 having a hole 11f therein through which the ball may fall if properly directed or guided. Scoring is effected when the ball simultaneously engages a pair of conducting strip elements 18-1 and 182 mounted on an inclined return plate or bottom 11" which strips may be positioned such that any ball falling through the opening 11f must bridge the gap therebetween in its return travel to a collection area at the lower end of the inclined plate or bottom sheet member 11" or immediately upon falling through said opening when it first strikes both said strip members across the gap therebetween. Like the elements mounted on the upper surface 11 of 11, conductors 18-1 and 182 are in series circuit with a battery 22, summing transducer or counter 20 and second scoring transducer 21 such as a buzzer or lamp.

In FIG. 1e, further details of a modified ball retainer are shown. The notation 17' refers to a U-shaped retaining wall which is open uphill or in the direction of travel of the ball and partially circumscribes an indentation 11h in the playing board 11' into which the ball may fall. A pair of surface mounted flat strip conducting elements 18 and 18k extend along the surface of 11' and each terminate at the bottom of the indentation 11h, close enough to each other and in a position such that when the ball is nesting therein, it will contact both said elements at the same time and complete a circuit therebetween. If the retaining wall 17' is eliminated, the indentation may be designed to either retain the ball therein or to permit the ball to roll in and roll out and complete the circuit between the two surface strip elements for scoring while in the indentation. One of the two surface elements may also extend along the retainer wall to effect a scoring contact with the ball in the manner illustrated in FIG. 10.

I claim:

1. A game board comprising in combination, a playing board having an electrically insulating upper surface, a plurality of electrically conducting circuit elements secured to said board and arranged in a series circuit with a power supply and a scoring means, said circuit having a plurality of breaks therein defined by gaps in said circuit elements which appear on the upper surface of said playing board, at least one of said gaps occuring in a scoring area defined by a stop for an electrically conducting scoring member having a conducting surface adapted to bridge said gap when said scoring member is abutting said stop and prepositioned in said scoring area, a second scoring member adapted to be directed to bridge a second gap in said circuit and to effect energizing of said scoring means when another scoring member is retained by said stop and bridging the gap adjacent said stop.

2. In a game construction, the combination which comprises:

(a) a base member having a playing surface composed of electrical insulating material,

(b) at least one opposed pair of spaced-apart conductive strips bonded to the playing surface of said 'base member,

() each conductive strip comprising flat, sheet-like conductive material,

(d) a playing member which is capable of moving from one position to another with respect to said playing surface,

(c) said playing member having of conductive material,

(f) each opposed pair of spaced-apart conductive strips being positioned closely enough together at a plurality of locations so as to form a plurality of narrow gaps each of which has a minimum width that does not exceed that which can be bridged by the surface of said conductive playing member,

(g) each conductive strip of flat, sheet-like conductive material being of much small thickness that (1) it does not substantially inhibit the movement of the playing member in any direction and (2) the gap between two strips forms a channel of insuflicient depth to act as a guide which could alter the direction of movement of the playing member,

(h) each said narrow gap defining a scoring area for the movable playing member,

(i) each opposed pair of spaced-apart conductive strips being electrically connected to a power supply and a scoring transducing means which only lacks being a completed electrical circuit by virtue of the narrow gap which separates the opposed pair of spacedapart conductive strips,

whereby, when said playing member moves between an opposed pair of spaced-apart conductive strips so as to bridge the narrow gap therebetween, an electrical circuit is completed across said conductive strips and through the power supply and scoring transducing means to which the opposed pair of conductive strips is attached so that the energized transducer will register a score.

3. In a game construction according to claim 2, wherein at least one of said conductive strips is secured against a side wall that extends upwardly with respect to the main playing surface.

4. In a game construction according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the narrow gaps set forth in (f) is positioned immediately below a hole in an overlying planar surface.

5. In a game construction according to claim 2 wherein said playing surface contains at least one indentation in which the playing member may fall, and wherein at least one of the narrow gaps set forth in (f) is located adjacent the bottom of each indentation.

6. In a game construction according to claim 2, wherein said playing member is shaped so that it has a large planar portion that is adapted to slide over said playing surface.

a surface composed 7. A game board comprising in combination, a playing board of electrically insulating material, said board having an upper playing surface which is normally inclined to the horizontal when said board is positioned on a horizontal surface, a plurality of thin flat electrical conducting elements integrally bonded to said playing surface with pairs of said elements extending thereacross to a plurality of positions defining scoring areas, portions of each of said pair of elements extending in closer proximity to each other than the major portions of said elements but separated from each other by gaps within each of said scoring areas, pairs of said elements defining said gaps being electrically disconnected from each other and defining respective circuits broken at said gaps which include a power supply and an electrical scoring means, and a scoring device made of an electrical conducting material and adapted for travel up and down the inclined surface, said scoring device having a surface which may bridge said gaps in said surface elements and complete respective electrical circuits when said scoring device is in predetermined positions on said playing surface, the playing surface of said base member being of irregular shape and having portions thereof where surfaces are oblique to each other and are shaped to permit said movable playing member to simultaneously make contact with said oblique surfaces, a first of said conducting surface elements bonded to a first of said oblique surfaces in a position adjacent a second of said elements which is bonded to the other surface oblique thereto, the electrically conducting surface of said playing member adapted to simultaneously abut said conducting elements and to thereby complete said circuit.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,707,859 4/1929 Johnson 273-86.6 1,939,130 12/1933 Mills 339l7 2,127,396 8/1938 Faber 273--125 2,169,594 8/1939 Schellenger 29-155.7 2,610,277 9/1952 Hooker et al 273118 X 2,613,244 10/1952 Dclcamp 33917 2,722,421 11/1955 Nicolaus 273-126 2,756,307 7/1956 Schwartz 338-126 2,759,078 8/1956 Brown 338---- 2,827,536 3/1958 Moore et al 29155.7 2,853,304 9/1958 Hooker 273- 2,872,193 2/1959 Hamilton 273-119 2,931,656 4/1960 Hooker 273-1 18 2,939,709 6/1960 Verveer 273118 ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Examiner. v T. ZACK, L. J. BOVASSO, Assistant Examiners. 

1. A GAME BOARD COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A PLAYING BOARD HAVING AN ELECTRICALLY INSULATING UPPER SURFACE, A PLURALITY OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTING CIRCUIT ELEMENTS SECURED TO SAID BOARD AND ARRANGED IN A SERIED CIRCUIT WITH A POWER SUPPLY AND A SCORING MEANS, SAID CIRCUIT HAVING A PLURALITY OF BREAKS THEREIN DEFINED BY GAPS IN SAID CIRCUIT ELEMENTS WHICH APPEAR ON THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID PLAYING BOARD, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID GAPS OCCURING IN A SCORING AREA DEFINED BY A STOP FOR AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTING SCORING MEMBER HAVING A CONDUCTING SURFACE ADAPTED TO BRIDGE SAID GAP WHEN SAID SCORING MEMBER IS ABUTTING SAID STOP AND PREPOSITIONED IN SAID SCORING AREA, A SECOND SCORING MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE DIRECTED TO BRIDGE A SECOND GAP IN SAID CIRCUIT AND TO EFFECT ENERGIZING OF SAID SCORING MEANS WHEN ANOTHER SCORING MEMBER IS RETAINED BY SAID STOP AND BRIDGING THE GAP ADJACENT SAID STOP. 